Oil ahd g-as separator



C. J. WOLFE OIL AND GAS SEPARATOR Filed Dec. 17, 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet 1INVENTOR C d'lfiylfe,

ATTORNEYS Dec. 8, 1925.

c. J. WOLFE OIL AND GAS SEPARATOR 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 17. 1924INVENTOR C c7. 75%,

ATTORNEYS WITNESSES Mai g1 Patented Dec. 8, 1925.

metres STATES CLARENCE J.

'WOLFE,

OF QUAY, OKLAHOMA.

OIL AND GAS SEPARATOR.

Application filed December 17, 1924. Serial No. 758,494.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLARENCE J. WVoLrn, a citizen oi the United States,and a resident oi Quay, in thecounty oi Pawnee and State of Oklahoma,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oil and GasSeparators, oi which the tollowing'is a specification. v

lhis invention relates to a separator for gas and oil, and is especiallydesigned for separating the gas from the oil as the cominingled gas andoil come from the well.

The object oi the invention is to provide a separator of this characterdesigned to collect and preserve the more volatile products of the oilwell and which operates to this end in a novel and eficient manner.

A still further object is to provide a separator or this character andhaving these advantages and which is 01 simple and durable construction,reliable and efiicient in operation and easy and comparativelyinexpensive to manufacture and maintain.

Other objects and advantages of the invention reside in certain novelfeatures of the construction, combination and arrangement of parts whichwill be hereinafter more fully described and particularly pointed out inthe appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawingsforming part oi this specification, and in which:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation, showing one embodiment of theinvention;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the separator shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a view in side elevation, showing a slightly differentembodiment of the invention,

Figure 4 is aview in horizontal section, taken on line 4-4 of Figure 3,and

Figures 5 and 6 aresectional views oi the couplings or connectionsemployed for permitting the separating tanks to move relative to theirsupply and discharge pipes.

Referring to the drawings, and more especially to Figures 1 and 2, thenumeral 10 designates a platform supported upon the upper end of aderrick 11.

A separating tank 12 is provided and is yieldably supported on theplatform 10 by means of cross bars 13 secured by angle plates 14 to thelower end of the tank 12 and having their ends engaged with and securedto resilient or yieldable supports 15. The supports 15 are or identicalconstruction and each includes telescoping cylinders 16 and l? and acoil spring 18. ihe cylinders 16 are secured to the bars 13, and thecylinders 17 are secured to the platform 10 and areslidably fitted inthe'cyl' V inderslb'. The ends of the cylinders 17 and '16 are open sothat the coil springs 18 engage the bars 13 at one end and the platform10 at their other end. The coil springs 18 are tensioned to support thetank 12 in elevated position when the tank is empty and to permit thetank 10 to gradually lower as the same fills up with oil. The cylinders16 and 17 constrain the tank 12 to axial movement and prevent lateraldisplacement thereof.

Means is provided for supplying the commingled gas and oil to the upperend of the tank and comprises a number of supply pipes designatedgenerally at 20.

l Vithin the tank 12 the oil settles to the bottom or lower end of thetank, and the gas collects at the top of the tank. A gas outlet pipe 30leads from the top of the tank to a valve casing 31 in which a pressurecontrolled valve 32 is fitted. The valve 32 is held in closed positionby means of an arm 23 connected to the stem 32 of the valve 32 andhaving a Weight 34 adjustable thereon. By adjusting the weight 34 alongthe arm the pressure at which the valve 32 is opened may be varied. Gasdischarge lines 35 lead from the valve casing 31 to the tanks in whichthe gas is to be stored and to other points at which it is desired todeliver the gas.

An oil outlet or oil discharge line 40 leads from the lower end of thetank 12 and connects with a valve casing 41. The valve casing 41connects the outlet pipe 40 with the pipe line 42 which leads to thepoint at which the oil is to be stored or delivered. A valve 43 ismounted in the valve casing 41 and controls the communication betweenprovided along the tank in order that the level of the oil within thetank may be gage'd.

As the various supply and discharge lines must convey the liquids orgases to and from the tank in all positions of the tank each of thelines must have suitable devices embodied therein to give the same thereq uisite flexibility. Flexible pipe sections and flexible anduniversal couplings are in corporated in each line to accomplish thispurpose. Preferably, however, each line has a tl-shaped pipe sectionembodied therein, one leg 60 of each U-shaped section being connected toa flexible or swivel coupling 61 and the other leg 6O being connected toa flexible or swivel coupling 62. The axes of the, couplings 61 and 62are horizontal and parallel.

As shown in Figure 6, each coupling (31 COl'llpllSGS a casing 65 havingone end connected, as at 66, with the supply line in which it isembodied T he opposite end of the casing is open and receives the leg 60of the U-shaped pipe 60 associated therewith; A number of coils ofgarlock packing 67 encircles the portionof the leg 60 located within thehousing and this packing is compressed betweena shoulder 68 thread edinto the casing 65 and a follower 69 con trolled by stud bolts 70 andnuts 71 co-acting with a flange 72 on the follower. A ring nut 73 may bethreaded on the leg 60'" to prevent its accidental displacement from thehousing.

As shown in Figure 5 each coupling 62 comprises an externally threadedcylindrical casing 75 suitably connected to the line .in which it isembodied and receiving the flangedend T6 of the leg 60 of the U-shapedpipe 60 associated therewith. A number of coils of garlock packing 77encircles the pipe leg 60 and is compressed between a shoulder 78threadedly connected to the casing 75 and a followerlfi) controlled froma cap 80 having internal threads engaged with the threads of the casing75.

lVith this arrangement the angular relation of the legs 60 and 60 withrespect to their couplings may vary and this together withthc resiliencyof the various lines perniits the tank to move freely up and down.

lVith this arrangement as the weight of the oil increases in the tank12, the tank 12 settles or lowers as the springs 18'compress due to theincrease in weight which follows upon an accumulation of oil in the tank12. The downward movement of the tank 12 is transmitted to the valve 4.3through. the bracket set screw -16 and stem at so that the valve 13 isopened to permit the discharge of oil from the bottom of the tank. \Vhensuflicient oil has been discharged from the tank 12 the tank 12 is againelevated by the springs 18, and consequently the valve a predeterminedpoint, the valve 82 is automatically opened to permit the gas to flow tothe storage tanks or to the points at which gas is to be delivered.

The embodiment illustrated in Figure 3 and 4. is identical with thatshown in Figures 1 and 2 and the description hereinafter applies theretowith the exception that the tank 12 is somewhat smaller and in lieu ofbeing arranged on a platform on the upper end of a derrick, the tank 12in F igurcs 3 and 4; is supported on the top of a large storage tank forthe oil, the storage tank being designated at 91. lVith the arrangementshown in Figures 3 and l means is provided to supplement the action ofthe supports in constraining the tank to axial n'iovement, and thismeans may comprise a plurality of standards 92 clamped to the tank 91,by hoops 9-3 and connected to each other by adjustable links 945 to thetank 12 by means of adjustable links 95 and a band 526 encircling thetank adjacent its upper end. The links 95 are pivotally connected to theband 96 as at 97.

I claim:

1. A separator for gas and oil comprising a tank, means for yieldablysupporting the tank and comprising a stationary structure cross barsconnected to the tank, and yieldable supports between the cross bars andthe stationary structure, said yieldable supports comprising telescopingcylinders and coil springs within the cylinders and engaging thestationary structure and the cross bars; flexible supply lines conveyingcommingled gas and oil to the tank, a pressure controlled gas outletleading from the upper part of the tank, an outlet for the oil leadingfrom the lower part of the tank, a valvecontrolling said outlet, andmotion transmission means between tne tank and the valve for opening thevalve as the tank moves downwardly and closing the valve as the tankmoves upwardly.

2. A separator for gas and oil comprising a tank, means for yieldablysupporting the tank, flexible supply lines conveying com-- mingledgas'and oil to the tank, a pressure controlled gas outlet leading fron'ithe upper part of the tank, an outlet for the oil leading from the lowerpart of the tank, a valve controlling said outlet, motiontransmissionmeans between the tan; and the valve for opening the valve as the tankmoves dowrwardly and closing the valve as the tank moves upwardly, andmeans for constraining the tank to proper movements including standards,a band encircling the tank, and links between the standards and thebaud.

CLARENCE J. WOLFE.

